To flee once more
by crying-harper
Summary: One-shot: A mother discovers that her baby has some special abilities she finds hard to hide. I also translated this story of mine into German. There it is called "Die zweite Flucht".
1. Chapter 1

(I also translated this story of mine into German. There it is called "Die zweite Flucht".)

**To flee once more **

1st Chapter**  
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When the persecution of the magical gifted started, her lover had to flee. She tried to stay in her home village, but the discrimination, rumors and side glances were too dangerous for also being accused one day. She had to flee afterward, too. Unfortunately, she didn't know, for both their safety, where her lover had gone. Soon during her wanderings, she discovered that she was pregnant.

**XXX**

A year has passed by since. She found a new home in another village working as a maid for a big farmer. Now she calls a small cottage room her own and watches her baby play with the rattle she had made of dried lentils and two layers of leftovers of cloth.

"Uih argh uih." Sounds of joy escape the little mouth. He grasps the rattle with two hands and kneads it as if it was dough. Suddenly, his coordination is too uneven to hold the rattle up anymore and it rolls, due to the momentum, away from him.

As a caring mother, her first reaction is intended to stand up and fetch the rattle for him again. In standing up, she stops in midways and sits down onto her chair again. The rattle is not that far way. She just waits and leaves the challenge to be taken by her baby.

"My dear, c'mon, try crawling, try!", she comforts him.

He struggles on, although he gives up then. Laying flatly and exhausted, he starts to cry.

"No, my dear, try for yourself. One more time, please."

Still sitting onto her chair, she bends over to caress his face to console. The crying stops.

In one weak struggle, he tries to sustain his body with arms and legs, but is too tired.

As she sits back straightly onto her chair again, she expects a new crying. He lays there silently.

In the moment, the mother begins to think her baby will fall asleep, it happens in the blink of an eye.

Cute baby eyes flash from blue-grey to amber like lightning in the dim cottage room. The rattle makes a short, none the less visible and audible, hopper back into her baby's hands. Immediately, he plays with it, as if nothing had happened. Instantly, the baby's mother is off her chair and takes her little one up to her arms who still holds the rattle.

Tears moisten her cheek and her baby's hair.

"Oh Merlin, dear one, no", she whispers nearly incomprehensively into the little ear.

From that moment on Hunith knows she has to be on a constant run until the child's understanding can accept the need of hiding this gift.

Disclaimer: All characters in the story belong to the creators of "Merlin" by BBC One and their affiliates.


	2. Chapter 2

**To flee once more**

2nd Chapter

They meet in the courtyard of an inn which lies beside the trading route at the border of Albion.

"Gaius" she cries. She runs towards him and hugs him with one arm. "It's good to see you again!"

"Dear Hunith, what a joy to see that you are both well!" Gaius answers. First he looks into Hunith's eyes, then into the bundle in Hunith's other arm, which is pressed against the physician's body by the hug.

"Is this Merlin?"

Hunith nods and frees from the hug for Gaius to see.

As the older man pops his unknown face over the baby, the little one starts to cry.

"Hush, hush", Hunith soothes and rocks him. "I'm glad that you've come", she says to Gaius.

"Don't worry, an old family friend will never let you down. Let's go for a walk for a bit, shall we?"

Hunith takes out her breath in relief. She feels unease with people around and Gaius knows it is an emergency why she called for him to come.

They leave the courtyard of the inn and go down a path between fields of hops and pasture-grounds with cows and sheep put to grass. For a while, they walk silently next to each other, only taking comfort in the other's presence. From time to time, Gaius looks at Hunith and her baby, but always changes his gaze afar again.

Merlin keeps awake and quiet, watching the older man with great brown eyes.

"Do you wish to hold him?", Hunith asks out of the sudden.

"If my unknown face doesn't scare him again, I would love to do so." Gaius answers.

"I will stay in Merlin's sight." Hunith takes Merlin into the physician's arms, after he has turned to her. But she still doesn't free one of Merlin's hands. Merlin alternates looks between the two adults, seemingly not knowing what to do with this new situation. Gaius smiles wonderfully. Then he turns the baby over to his mother again before Merlin is able to change his mind. Hunith rocks Merlin again and her baby snuggles up to his mother's shoulder.

With a sad expression on her face, Hunith looks Gaius into the eyes and causes their walk to stop. She looks around scared that none has followed them and whispers: "He has his father's talent, I fear."

"Oh Hunith, my thoughts on my way to you have come true!" He hugs her and the baby again. "You need protection and cover. At the moment, both is best if you stay outside the borders of Albion and onto the road for a while."

Hunith nods sadly in agreement. "The winter should be hardest to come by. Even if I find work and shelter, how shall I earn our living, facing this permanent peril? Don't you know a place which is save for us both?"

"Keep out of Albion as long as you can. Try to seek places where magic is still in use but don't reveal yourselves!" Gaius whispers into her ear. He looses a pouch from his belt. "Take this for a start", and offers it to Hunith.

Tears go down Hunith's cheeks. "Gaius, I've never wanted it this way in my life. I've always sought to be independent. But as a mother, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to save my child." Her hand shakes as she takes the pouch and hides it well under her tunic.

"Hunith", Gaius silences her, "there is nothing you should worry about. You know why. This would even be a worse world with the thought that family, friends and kin start stopping to help each other! So keep telling me from time to time, where and how you are and don't ever hesitate to call me for help! Please."

Hunith is crying now, leaning her wet face onto Gaius shoulder who in return caresses her back.

But Merlin in between begins to cry. So they separate again.

Hunith tries to compose herself, rubbing her red face with one hand. "Thank you", she mutters.

"There is nothing to thank for", Gaius answers.

Then they hear a very clear-cut sound from Merlin.

Hunith starts to smile a bit again. "I'm afraid we've got to go back."

Gaius grins. "I think so, too." he stats, as he sees Hunith fan with her free hand before her nose.

THE END

Disclaimer: All characters in the story belong to the creators of "Merlin" by BBC One and their affiliates.


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